Machine gun



MACHINE GUN J. T. KEWISH Filed July 9, 1918 Oct. 30 1923.

g E (I l 0d. so, 192s.

J. T. KEWISH MACHINEv GUN Filed July 9. 1918 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Sm 8% uw.mm

Oct. 30 1923.

` J. T. KEwlsH MACHINE GUN Filed July 9. i918 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 301923.

J. T. KEwlsH MACHINE GUN Filed July 9, 1918 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /MW BYATTORNEY@ atented *lili so a'. :a:

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ASSIGNOE 0F @NE-FOURTH TU J0 C.

Application med July 9, 191B. Serial Elfo. Qdd?.

To all 'whom it muy concern:

Be it known that li, donn T Kawisn, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, a State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ma chineGuns, of which the following is a specication.

rIhis invention relates to an improved machine gun o the type adapted tobe carried on and tired from the shoulder of the user.

Certain objects and advantages of my invention are as follows: y

First, as the principal object, to dispense with the recoil and gasoperated mechanism as heretofore em loyed in automatic and machine ns,an to provide a light, sim le and relia le machine gun comprising a ewparts of simple construction which are easy to assemble and operate, andso designed and arranged that the power for actuating the automaticparts is taken from the primer of the cartridge when said cartridge isfired. Secondly, to provide a simple and reliable automatic mechanismwhich can be depended on to fire either single shots or by machineaction as desired, independently of the skili of the operator.

ther objects oi my invention are: to provide an automatitl gun mechanismcapable of machine action` in which the power actuating the automaticparts is derived from the primer of the cartridge, but in which meansare provided to prevent the primer from coming completely out of thecartridge when fired; to provide a gun mechanism capable of machineaction in `which means are provided for securely locking the cartridgein the barrel of the gun; o provide a movable actuator piece through themovement of which and from its transmitted energy the gun isautomatically unloaded and loaded; to provide an automatic movablebreech mechanism which shall be spring-actuated in the closingdirection,` the weight of the movable breech parts being so proportionedto the stiffness and length of the spring that the rearward movement ofthe mechanism will store suiiicient energy in the spring to reload thegun, return the mechanism to firing position and to lire the cartridge;to provide an automatic gun mechanism ca able of machine action whichmay be relia ly used for sharp-shooting purposes; to provide anautomatic gun mechanism capable of machine action in which a ring pincarried by the breech mechanism is held in mounted or cocked positionafter 4the breech mechanism is in tiring position; to provide anautomatic gun mechanism capable of machine action, in which the breechblock is securely locked when the mechanism is in ring position; toprovide an automatic gun mechanism capable of machine action in whichthe breech block is securely locked when the mechanism is in tiringposition and in which a firing pin carried by the breech is held inmounted or cocked position after the breech block is locked; to providean automatic gun mechanism capable oi' either single shot or machinefire, in which the trigger mechanism is so arranged that when firingsingle shot the trigger must be let go after firing and pulled anew foreach shot before the gun can fire; to rovide an automatic gun mechanismcapable of veither single shot or machine ire in which the triggermechanism can be positively and surely disabled as to machine action; toprovide an automatic gun mechanism capable of either single shot ormachine lire, in which machine action is obtained by holding the triggerin a di'erent position from that in which it is when the piece is tiredin single shot action; to provide novel means for mounting the sights:to provide a novel extractor mechanism; and to provide improved meansfor discharging the gas out of the line of sight.

A further object of my invention resides in the particular arrangementand combination of parts hereinafter described.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in the drawingaccompanying and forming a part of this specification, and the inventionwill readily be understood from a description of this drawing.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, parts being, however, in elevation,of the portion of .a gun according to my invention extending forwardfrom a transverse plane through loo horizontal' section.

Fig 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

mFig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1

Fig. 61s a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view showing the operating mechanisms ofthe piece in the positions occupied when a fresh cartridge is beinginserted. It also shows the ma azine in position.

ig. 8 is a detailed view of the trigger mechanism and also shown thearrangement employed for holding the magazine in position.

Fig. 9 is a detailed view of a bolt employed for holding the Itriggermechanism, and also the stock, in position. It is the final boltemployed in assembling the piece.

Fig. 10 is a detail view showing the receiver in longitudinal section.

Fig. 11 is a detail view showing the stock bracket.

Fig. 12 is a detail longitudinal sectional view through the rear end ofthe cartridge chamber and forward end of the breech mechanism of myshowing the relation of the parts immeiiintely after the'firing of thecartridge and illustrating the amount .of movement permitted the primerin the cartridge. This view also illustrates my gun as used with aspecial form of primer having` relatively thick and long side walls.

Fig. 13 is a detail sectional view taken on a line parallel to andimmediately below the line of Fig. 2.

Fig. 14 is an elevational view of the casing or receiver in which theautomatic parts of my gun are mounted. l

Fig. 15 is a view of my rear sight as it appears when looking from therear or right hand side of Figs. 7 and 14.

Fig. 16 is a top plan view of my gun showing parts appearing also inFigs. 1 and 7.

Fig. 17 is an elevational view of the forf ward end of the actuator ofmy gun.

Fig. 18 is a side View of the actuator shown in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a rear view of said actuator, taken from the right of Fig,18.

taken when looking from the rear of the gun.

In my improved machine gun, the power which actuates it is derived fromthe primer of the cartridge. The gas pressure generated in the cartridgemoves the' primer back a short distance, thus transmitting power to atappet or movable part which in turn transmits the movement or energy toan acn tuator. The actuator then moves back in the receiver of the gun,and operates first to unlock the bolt, moving some distance in doingthis before the same is fully unlocked. This allows time for the gas toescape from the barrel before the bolt is Withdrawn, and provides amargin of safety against backfire, and in case a bullet lodges in thebarrel. As the actuator continues to move backwards, it carries the boltand its lock with it, the bolt lock travelling on guideways in thereceiver. The cartridge is extracted by an extractor carried on thebolt, and is ejected from the receiver by contact with an ejectorsituated in the receiver in such way as to be moved in and out ofposition by a cam on the bolt. This movement backwards of the actuator,with its connected parts, compresses the `main operating spring in therear end of the receiver. After being compressed to its utmost thisspring sends forward again the Q actuator, with its connected parts,expanding itself until held back against the head of the firing pin,when said firing pin is detained on a pawl pivoted in the receiver,from. whence the firing pin mounts on to a catch on the actuator. Saidpawl is then lifted from the firing pin by a cam on the actuator whichoperates as the actuator moves forward by the impetus received from thespring. The

yspring thus being freed again pushes the actuator ahead with the firingpin cocked on the catch on the actuator, forcing the cartridge into thebarrel by the bolt which i the actuator pushes ahead. After thecartridge is in its place in the barrel, and the bolt in its mostforward position, the actuator continuesl to move forward a shortdistance in forcing the bolt lock down into position on the end of thebolt, and in front of the guideways in the receiver, by the action ofcam surfaces, the bolt lockbeing held securely in place against thefront of the guideways in the receiver. The gun is now ready to fireagain, and the firing pin is sent forward to strike the primer by thesame spring which brought the whole breechblock ahead, it being pressedagainst the head of the firing pin when this pin was as desired.

The single shot and machine action are both controlled by a singletrigger and associated mechanism, the one action or the other beingdetermined by the position tol` which the trigger may be pulled whenfiring, the machine action occurring when the trigger is in its rearmostposition. When firing single shots,lthe trigger is positively held frombeing pulled back to the machine iire position by a stop, which can bemoved out oi the way when desired. In single shot firing. epivoted'catch on the trigger mechanism engages the catch on the actuatorto pall the latter down and reiease the diving pin. These two catchesare so arranged that the trigger must be let go after ring and puiledanew for each shot before f the gun can fire. tf'onsequently, there is amarked line between shots fired by pulling the trigger each time and themachine action. The user can make no mistake.l and reliable single shottiring can obtained without special skill or training. The single retrigger arrangement, in combination with the bolt and lock therefor alsoensures perfect aim and Steady fire, as the cartridge must be lockedsecurely in firing position before the cocked iirin pin can be let go.However, after each ischarge the gun is automatically set for the nextshot and the speed is determined by the will of the user within widelimits, and so long as there is a cartridge in the magazine.

When it is desired to utilize the machine action, the stop previouslymentioned is displaced from the path o the trigger in its rearwardmotion and the trigger is held in a position further back than the onein which it is fixed for firing single shots.

i When held in such position, the catch of the trigger mechanism isdrawn down out of the way of the catch onA the actuator, but the lattercatch is automatically tripped to release the tiring pin as the actuatorgoes home to its forward position by a cam member which is elevated bythe trigger.

Suitable means are rovided also for cock ing the gun into position forthe first shot and for securely locking the mechanism of the gun in asafety position. from which it cannot be fired. I )rovide also animproved arrangement for dissipating the gas and bending downwards theflash at the mouth of the gun, as well as a novel arrangement formounting the sights. My invention will be more completely understood andfurther advantages will appear from the following detail descriptioniReferring in detail to the drawing, 1 des-v ignates the mock bracketsecured to a stock 3 of an approved pattern by bolts 2, 4 and 5. 6 esiates the receiver which is secured to t e stock bracket by a horizontalT slot and lu joint 7 at the rear end and by a slot andug connection 8at the front end. In mounting the stock bracket on the receiver, thestock bracket is brought into engagement with the receiver so that the Tslot 7 in the receiver engages the lu 9 on the stock bracket2 and sothat the ug and slot 8 are 'in ltion; then by turning the bolt 10 (see9) the yreceiver and stock bracket are locked firmly in position. Thebarrel 11 is secured to the receiver by the screw-thread connection asshown. The magazine is indicated at 12 and may be of any approved typeadapted to automatically supply cartridges 13 in position to be engagedone at a time by the bolt l5 on its forward movement and pushed intoposition in the barrel.

The mechanism for taking energy or power from the primer and forautomatically operating the piece comprises an actuator 14 mounted to aslide in guideways formed in the receiver as shown clearly in Fig. 4.This actuator has considerable mass. and as will later explain operatesto Store up sulicent energy when the cartridge is tired to carry themechanism through a complete cycle of operations. The bolt 15 is mountedfree to slide in the slot 16 cut in the actuator 14 (see Fig. 4) and hasmounted on it and carries with it in its movement the extractor 17. Thespindle 18 has a threaded connection at 19 with the actuator and extendsinto the bolt and maintains the bolt in position, free, however, toslide a certain amount on this spindle. 20 designates a tappet mountedin the forward end of the bolt in front of the spindle. This tappet isprovided with a slot 21 adapted to receive a lug 22 on the extractor 17.The slot 21 is of such a length that the tappet can move forward untilit is firmly pressed against the primer by the spindle 18, andthereafter when the cartridge is fired can move rearwardly with respectto the bolt a sufiicient distance to store enough energy in the actuatorand associated arts to operate the various mechanisms. referably thetappet is not permitted to move far enough to allow the primer to comeout of the cartridge before the tappet is brought to rest, and I havedemonstrated that suicient energy can be stored up in this way toactuate the piece without allowing the primer to come out. 'After thetazppet has moved the limited distance and has been brought to rest bylug 22 on the extractor 17. the actuator 14 and the spindle 18 continueto movey rearwardly so that the cam surface 23 on the actuator comes incontact with the cam surface 24 on the lock 25 (see Fig. 7), this lockkeeping holt 15 fixed for an instant after the cartridge isl fired. Thecontact of these two cam surfaces operates to move the lock upwardlykinto the 'position shown in Fig. 7. When the lock is thus raised itrises above the shoulders 26 on the guideways and is then free to moverearwardly with the actuator. The lock 25 has a T slot engagement at 2 8with the rear end of the bolt and carries the bolt rearwardly in orderto extract and eject the cartridge. The extractor 17 as above explainedhas a lug 22 and this extends through a slot in the bolt as clearlyshown in Fig. 2, so that the extractor is forced to move with the bolt.

It will be seen that the firing pin is also thrown rearwardly by theprimer at the same time as the actuator. The actuator, firing pin, andassociated parts, on their back movement compress the spring 29 andstore suilicient energy in this spring so that the spring returns themovable parts to {iring positlon, overcoming their friction, inserting acartridge, locking the bolt to hold the cartridge firmly, and drivinghome 'the firing pin. I find that it is necessary, for good results,that the reciprocating parts which receive energy from the primer shouldhave a certain minimum weight in order that Vthey may accumulatesufficient energy to carry out the operations of ejecting the cartridgeand inserting a fresh one and to overcome the friction of the parts inpassing through a cycle of operations. Also the spring must be capableof storing sufficient energy to return the reciprocating parts fromtheir rearmost position to the tiring position, to insert the'freshcartridge and to drive the pin home in firing. I have found byexperiment that good results are obtained when the actuator, pin andparts rigidly attached thereto weigh about one and three fourths pounds,and the spring is of spring wire (.070 inches diameter) coiled into ahelix about twelve' inches long when uncompressed.

The small spring 30 is employed as a cushion to insure the actuatorcoming to a stop when the cushion spring reaches the rear end 31 of thereceiver. After the lock has been raised .the actuator continues to moverearwardly compressing the spring 29, and when it moves rearwardlysufficiently far, the rear end of the cartridge case strikes the point32 of the ejector 33, and is thrown sharply to one side and out of thepiece through the opening 200 in the receiver. It will be noted that 1nthe position shown in Fig. 2, the point 32 of the ejector is out of linewith the rear end of the cartridge. In order to bring the point 32 incontact with the rear end of the cartridge case, a cam surf face 34fixed on the bolt is provided, and this 5 cam surface engages the corner35 of the ej ecing pin in cocked position.

tor and tilts the ejector sufficiently to bring the point 32 in contactwith the em'py car- Y -cartridge has been ejected, the actuator movesback until stopped by the cushion spring 30 engaging the rear wall 31.The actuator and associated parts carried therewith then move forward'until the head 37 of the firing pin engages the pawl 38, the rear end ofwhich is normally held down so as to engage the head 37 as it movesforward. The pawl 38 stops the forward movement of the ring pin. Theactuator continues to move forward until the cam surface 39 on theactuator engages'the cam surface 40 on the pawl so as to lift it out ofengagement with the head of the firing pin. While the pawl 38 is de-`taining the head 37 of the firing pin, the catch 41 rises until itsshoulder 42 engages the head of the firing pin and holds the fir- Thiscatch 41 is pivoted at 43 on the actuator and is actuated by a spring44, so that it normally assumes a position to engage the head of thefiring pin. Thel bolt as it moves forward picks up the cartridge whichhas been moved in front of it by the spring 12 of the magazine andpushes it into the chamber of the barrel. As the actuator moves forwardthe lock 25 comes in contact with the cam surface 45 formed on the topwall of the receiver 6 which operates by engaging the surface 46 of thelock to push the lock bodily down enough to disengage the rear face 47of the lock with the shoulder 48 on the actuator 14. Thereafter, as theactuator moves forward, the cam surface 49 on the actuator engages thecam surface 50 on the lock and forces the lock down into lockedposition, against the front of the shoulders 26, that is to say, in theposition shown in Fig. 1. The surface 45 operates to prevent the lockmoving forward and also brings the actuator to a stop. The mechanism nowis in cocked and firing position.

It will be seen that, when the parts are in cocked position, only thefiring pin is mounted and hence there is a minimum of jar on dischargeboth in single shot and machine firing. vMy gun is consequently adaptedfor any use to which a hand rifle may be put, such as sharpshooting,etc.

lThe trigger mechanism consists of the trigger 51v pivoted at 52 to thebracket 53.

The bracket is held in fixed position in the receiver by the bolt 5above referred to, and the bolt 10 in Fig. 9. The forward end 54 of thetrigger 51 engages the rear end of the lever 55 pivoted at 56 o-n thebracket 53. The rocking lever 55 is slotted and carries the catch 57pivoted thereon at 58. A stop 59 for the trigger is provided in orderthat engages the notch 68 in the magazine-so as` the piece may be set tofire automatically or to fire single shots. The stop is set by a .triplever 60 and operates as I will later explain. When the trigger 51 ispulled, the catch 57 is pulled down compressing the spring 61 andthehook 62 on the catch 57 engages the hook 63 on the catch 41 and releasesthe firing pinl which fires the cartridge and thus completes the cycleof operations when the piece is used to fire single shots. It will beseen, however, from Fig. 7 that, when catch 51 is in cooking positionand the trigger is pulled back, catch 57 cannot make operativeengagement with hook 63, so that the trigger must be released after eachshot before another can be fired.

When it is desired to operate the piece automatically, the stop 59 isset in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 by an appropriatechange in the positionl of cam member 60. Then when the trigger 51 isdrawn back, it is free to move far enough to bring the cam 64 on therocking lever 55 into position to engage the corner 65 ofthe catch 41,and automatically trips this catch as it moves forward. This surface 64is so positioned that it trips the catch 41 slightly before the actuatorcomes to rest on its forward movement. When the parts are in thisposition the catch 57 is inoperative, being held down out of the way ofthe catch 41. The operation of the mechanism when used automatically isthe same as when used to fire single shots, except as modified by theoperation of -cam surface 64.

The trigger 66 operates the pawl 67 which to hold it in operativeposition. When it is desired to remove an exhausted magazine and inserta new one, the trigger 66 is moved forward bringing the paw 67 out ofthe notch 68 so that the change of magazines can easily be made. Thepawl 67 is normally held in engagement with the notch 68 by the pressureof the spring 61. safety sear is shown at 69 and is pivoted by pin 70 onthe receiver. When the handle of this safety sear is thrown forward fromthe position shown in Fig. 1, the Sear engages the firing pin, locks theactuator by reason of its cylindrical portion 69' contacting with thearcuate surface 14.-B (Figs. 1 and 18) on the actuator, and operates asa lock to prevent the accidental firing of the piece. It also may beused to cock the firing pin since when it is thrown into safety positionthe shoulder 71 engages the head of the firing pin and forces it intococked posi- Vtion as will be apparent from Fig. 1.

In order to position the first cartridge and to put the operatingmechanism into cocked position, a hand-operated bolt 72 is provided andmounted to slide in the groove 73 on the receiver. A pawl 74 is mountedon this bolt and is positioned by a spring 75 so as to normally lock thebolt in forward position. When the bolt 72 is pulled back, the pawl 74automatically releases and then swings far enough through the slot inthe receiver to engage the notch 76 in the actuator, and thus allow theactuator to be moved back compressing the sprin and in This bolt 72 ismade long` to allow for closing the slot 8O to keep dirt out.

Also the actuator is made long enough to normally close the opening inthe receiver. through which the shell is ejected for the same purpose.

As is well known, difliculty has been experienced in sighting automaticrifles owing to the flash and expansion of the hot gases at the end ofthe barrel. This difiioulty has been partly cured bv placing a sleeve atthe end of the barrel of the general type shown at 81. I have found thatthe action oi' such sleeves is greatly improved if the outer end isdeflected downwardly as indicated at 82. rIhis arrangement dischargesthe gases in a stream which has time to cool and spread before reachingthe line of sight.

It will be seen that member 81 carries the front sight` and I find thatthis arrangement enables me to place the front sight in the mostadvantageous position as regards use and at 'the same time to set thesight accurately with a minimum of trouble. In order to hold the sleeveor choke 81 securely and at same time insure that the sight shall not beturned out of line as might be the case if member 81 were secured by athread' ed joint, I attach member 81 tothe end of the barrel by adovetail and pin connection, the pin being shown at 83. Moreover, toassist in adjusting the front sight 84, I form a dovetail connectionshown at 85 between the sight and the standard 86, so that the sight canbe readily adjlisted transversely of the gun.

It will be seen that the deta'ining nawl 38 is mounted on the pin orbolt 87 (Fig. 3) and I find that this pin comes in the best position formounting the rear sight 88 so that I can utilize said pin for bothpurposes. Moreover, by placing the rear sight as iust indicated, Iarrange it to co-operate with the receiver to excellent advantage.

As shown in Figs. 1, 7, 10, and 14. I cut the rear ends of theupstanding ribs or shoulders 89 to produce a downwardly and rearwardlysloping bevel 90. The sight 88 can be folded down between shoulders 89,and I have provided outwardly projecting ears 91 on the adjustable head92 of the sight, said ears having edges arranged to engage the notches99 on bevels 90. The height of-this sight can thus be adjusted up tonine hundred yards by engaging the ears with the respective notches. Ifhigher ranges than nine hundred yards are required, the sight is swungupwardly and forwardly somewhat beyond the ninety degree position andranges above nine hundred yards obtained by adjusting head 92 asindicated, by graduations on one of the legs of the sight. I providealso a pawl 93 on head 92 which is for en ging notches on one of thelegs to hold t e head in vertically adjusted po.

sition. It will be seen that head 92 folds between the shoulders 89,only ears 91 projecting, so that pawl 93 is protected and the sight isnot exposed to damage. Moreover, I provide a thumb-bolt 94 withassociated spring for normally holding pawl 93 in engaging position,members 93 and 94 being so mounted in recesses in the side of head 92 asnot to interfere with turning the sight down between shoulders 89. Abridge piece is provided between the outer ends of the legs and on saidbridge piece is an outstanding lug 95 in which is a notch form-ing partof the battle sight. Immediately below said notch is a peephole 96 Whichis used for careful shooting when the sight as a whole is folded back. Apeep-hole 97 is provided in head 92 for use when the sight is elevated.The spring 98, one end of which controls the detaining pawl 38 and theother end of which controis the safety member, is used also to maintainthe si ht either folded or raised as desired. For t is purpose the rearend of s'aid spring is cut to form three lingers, the centre one 98b ofwhich contacts with the detaining pa-wl, and the other two 98--98 ofwhich contact with the hubs on the inner ends of the legs of the rearsight.

It will be seen that my principle of operating by power derived frommovement of the primer is applicable to many types and sizes of `gunusing any desired form of cartridge, so long as a. primer is used.lMoreover, it will be understood that the power taken from the plrimermust be properly proportioned to t e mechanism of the particular gun. Itwill be seen also, that the amount of power derivable from a givenprimer depends upon its length and diameter. My experiments have shownthat the primers of the standard cartridges for small arms in use in theUnited States are so proportioned as to work my preferred mechanismherein described in a highly satisfactory manner. However, I contemplateusing this principle on cartridges of various kinds and with mechanismrequiring more power in proportion to the cartrid than is the case. withthat shown and described herein. I also contemplate using ower from theprime-r for performing certa-1n functions in connection with themagazine, which are not possible with the form of magazine shown herein.Finally, it is advisable with certa-in types of gun to obtain a longerimpulse than can be obtained with standard primers now in use. For thesereasons, I

have designeda special primer 30() as illustrated in Fig. 12 inassociation with my improved breech mechanism. This rimer has its sidewalls 301 made relative y long in proportion to its diameter as comparedto the standard U. S. small arms primer.

Moreover, the side walls 301 of my primer are made thicker than the headof the primer, so that the primer can move out of the cartridge agreater distance without danger of collapsing.

It will be understood that I have shown a standard form of a. magazinein connection with my own improvements and said magazine is adapted tocontain two rows or banks of cartridges of which only one appears in thedrawing.

It will be understood that while I have shown and described herein thepreferred embodiment of my invention, nevertheless I do not wish t0 belimited thereto, since many changes may be made in the forni. andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Moreover, parts of my invention may be 100 bination, a bolt for holdingthe rear end 1 of a cartridge to be fired, an actuator hav ing a limitedmovement with respect to said bolt, a firing pin carried with and havinga. limited movement with respect to said actuator, means for urging saidpin forward, 1

means for retracting said pin with respect to said actuator, meanscarried on* said actuatorv for retaining said pin in retracted position,and means whereby said firing pin may be released from said retainingmeans.

2. A' self-loading gun comprising, in combination, a bolt for holdingthe rear end of a cartridge to be fired, an actuator having a limitedmovement with respect to said bolt, a firing pin carried with and havinga limited movement with respect to said actuator, means for urging saidpin forward, means for retracting said pin with respect to saidactuator, means carried on said actuator for retaining said pin inretracted position, and means whereby said firing pin may be releasedfrom said retaining means either in single shot or rapid firingsequence, as desired.

3. In ardevice of the class described in combination, a casing, anactuating block slidably mounted in said casing, a bolt mounted in saidblock for hold' a cartridge to be tired, said bolt and block being capale of a restricted relative movement, a spindle fixed to said block andpro' within said bolt, a firing pin mounte within said spindle, said pinand block being thrown rearwardly by the motion of the primer, a springfor returning said block and bolt, means for cocking said pin includinga catch mounted on said block, and trigger mechanism adapted to releasesaid catch. y

4. In a device of the class described in combination, a casing, anactuating block slidably mounted in said casing, a bolt for holding acartridge to be fired mounted in said block, said bolt and block beingcapable 0f a restricted relative movement, a spindle fixed to said blockand projectin within said bolt, a firing pin mounted wit in saidspindle, said pin and block being thrown rearwardly by' the motion ofthe primer when the cartridge is fired, a spring for returning saidblock and bolt, means for cocking said pin including a catch mounted onsaid block, and trigger mechanism adapted to release said catch, saidtrigger mechanism comprising two releasing means, one operating onlyafter being reset, and the other operating upon contact with the catch.

5. In a device of the class described in combination, a casing, anactuating block slidably mounted in said casing, a bolt for holding acartridge to be fired mounted in said block, said bolt and block beingcapable of a restricted relative movement, a spindle fixed to said blockand projecting within said bolt, a firing pin mounted within saidspindle, a tappet piece surrounding the forward end of said pin withinsaid bolt and having a limited rearward movement therein upon the firingof the cartridge whereby said block and pin are accelerated in arearward direction, a spring for returning said block and bolt, meansfor cooking said pin including a catch mounted on said block, and

trigger mechanism adapted to release said catch.

8. In a device of the class described in combination, a casing, anactuating block slidably mounted in said casing, a bolt for holding acartridge 'to be fired mounted in said block, said bolt and block beingcapable of a restricted relative movement, a

' spindle fixed to said block and projecting within said bolt, a firingpin mounted within said spindle, said pin and block being thrownrearwardly by the motion of the primer, a spring for returning saidblock and bolt. means for cocking said pin including a catch mounted onsaid block, trigger mechanism adapted to release said catch, and alocking member for holding said bolt momentarily stationary after thefiring of the cartrid e.

7. In a evice of the class described in combination, a casing, anactuating block slidably mounted in said casing, a bolt for holding acartridge to be fired mounted in said block, said bolt and block beingcapable of a restricted relative movement, a spindle fixed to said blockand projectin within said bolt, a firing pin mounted wit in saidspindle, said pin and block being thrown rearwardly by the motion of theprimer, a spring for returnin said block and bolt, means for cookingsaid pin including a catch mounted on said block, trigger mechanismadapted to release said catch, and a locking member carried by saidblock for holding said bolt momentarily stationary after the firing ofthe cartridge.

8. In a gun, in combination, a breech mechanism comprising areciprocatory actuator, a firing pin mounted on and having a limitedmovement relatively to said actuator, a catch acting to hold said firingpin when in cocked position, said catch being pivoted intermediate itsends to said actuator, and trigger meanswhereby said catch may beoperated to release said tiring pin, said trigger means includin apivoted catch for coJoperating with said first mentioned catch on oneside of its pivot point and a cam for co-operating with said firstmentioned catch on the other side of its pivot point to release saidtiring pin.

9. An automatic gun mechanism comprising in combination, a bolt forholding the cartridge firmly in firing position, said bolt leaving theprimer free to move, a movable actuator, a firing pin carried on andmovable relatively to said actuator and a lock for said bolt, said lockbeing free to move relatively to said bolt transversely of the barrelwhen said bolt is in locked position and being operated by the movementof said actuator.

10. An automatic gun mechanism comprising in combination, areciprocatory actuator, a bolt for holding the cartridge firmly infiring position, said bolt leaving the primer free to move and beingmounted including a reciprocating firing pin havingl a head thereon, amain spring engaging said head for actuating said breech mechanism inthe forward direction, and a pawl for engaging said head on the forwardtravel of the breech mechanism and acting to momentarily detain saidpin,4said mechanism having suitable means for retaining said pin cockedin a relatively detained position as it moves forwardly.

p 12. An automatic gun comprising in combination reciprocating breechmechanism including a reciprocating firing pin having a head thereon, amain spring engaging said head for actuating said breech mechanism inthe forward direction, and a pawl for engaging said head on the forwardtravel 'of the breech mechanism and acting to 'momentarily detain saidpin, said mechanism having a catch which automatically engages the headof said pin when it isretained by said pawl.

13. An automatic gun comprising in combination a reciprocating breechmechanism including a firing pin, a pivoted member for momentarilydetaining said pin on the forward travel of said'mechanism, a rearsight, and common means for mounting said pivoted member and said sight.

14. An automatic gun comprising in combination a reciprocating breechmechanism including a breech block and a firing pin, a main spring foractuating said mechanism on its forward travel, and means forinomentarily detaining said pin during its lorward travel, said springexpanding until stopped by the detention of said pin, then expandingfurther in putting the breech block into firing position, and expandingro its furthest position in driving said pin to fire the shot. r

15. In a gun in combination, a reciprocatory breech mechanism, a casingor receiver in which said mechanism is mounted, said receiver having aslot therein, a hand cooking device havingA a pawl adapted to extendthrough said slot to engage said breech mechanism tol draw the sameback, and means whereby said pawl is automatically released from saidmechanism.

16. In a gun in combination, a reciprocatory breech mechanism includinga bolt and a locking piece therefor, a hand cocking device for saidmechanism including a pawl and a receiver or casing for said mechanism,said receiver having a slot for said pawl, an exterior guideway for saiddevice,

v an opening for the ejection of a cartridge,

openings in the bottom for the assembling of the parts of saidmechanism, a cam for engaging and bearing down said locking piece, andtrack guideways on which parts of said mechanism run, said guideways be-.ing so arranged that they become the thrust support for said bolt andlocking piece when the bolt is locked in firing position.

17. In a gun in combination, a reciprocaremainder of said mechanismto'force back and mount said pin and simultaneously to hold theremainder of said mechanism ahead.

18. An automatic gun mechanism comvprising in combination, areciprocatory actuator having a slot, a bolt mounted in said actuatorand having a lateral recess opening to said slot, and an extractormounted in said slot and having a lug extending into said recess.

:19. An automatic gun mechanism comprising in combination, areciprocatory actuator having a slot therein a hollow bolt mounted onsaid actuator and having a lateral aperture opening into said slot, atappet piece within' said bolt and having a recess and an extractormounted in the slot in said actuator and havin a lug extending throughthe aperture 1n said bolt and into said recess to limit the movement ofsaid tappet piece.

20. In a gun in combination, an automatic breech mechanism comprising areciprocatory actuator receiving its energy from the discharge of thecartridge, a bolt and locking piece associated with said actuator, andreciprocating therewith, and a receiver o r casing for said mechanism,said receiver having guideways for said mechanism, said guideways beingso arranged with respect to said mechanism and said locking piece beingautomatically l so actuated .that said guideways become the thrustsupport for said bolt and locking piece when the bolt is locked intiring position.

21. An automatic gun comprising a receiver, a transverse pin thereon, anoscillatory detaining or cocking pawl pivoted on said pin, and a rearsight also pivoted on said pin.

22. In a device of the character described, in combination, an actuatingblock, a bolt Acarried by said actuator, a spindle fixed to said blockand projecting into said bolt, a firing pin mounted within thespindle,`a tappet positioned to contact with the primer and perforatedtopermit access of the firing pin to the latter, the tappet being soconstructed as to limitthe forwardmovement of the firing pin.

23. In a gun, a receiver or casing provided with a slot adapted for thereception of a pawl carried by a cooking slide, and

,with an exterior guideway for `said slide,

said guideway having an opening, for the ejection of a cartridge shell,and said receiver having openings in the bottom for the assembly of theparts normally held in .the receiver.

24. In a device of the character described,

in combination, an actuator, a bolt carried thereby, a slotted tappetcarried by said bolt, and means extending into said slot and governingthe movement of the tappet.

25. In a device of the class described, in combination, a bolt forholdin a cartridge to be fired, a firing pin mova 1y monted within thebolt, a spindle carrying the firing pin and projectin into said bolt,and a tappet limiting the orward movement oi the 10 firing pin producedby said spindle and arranged to engage the primer so as y'to be movedrearwardly thereb J 011% T. KEWI'SH.

